Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler,
(818) 677-2130
cchandler@exec.csun.edu

CSUN Celebrates Opening of Energy Saving Central Plant

The grand opening of the new central plant will take place at 10 a.m. at the facility on the northeast corner of Etiwanda Avenue and Plummer Street.

The new plant, which uses hot and chilled water supplies to control the temperatures of campus buildings, replaces a 39-year-old system that relied on leaky steam lines for heating and individual chiller units for cooling. University officials project that the new system will save $300,000 in its first year of operation.

"This is a once-in-a-life-time experience that will provide a much needed infrastructure improvement to the university," said Hildo Hernandez, CSUN's director of physical plant management. "The result will benefit the taxpayers and the entire campus community."

Monday's celebration will feature a presentation by Department of Water and Power officials of a $2.15 million check to help defray the costs of the new plant.

Hernandez said the money is DWP's way of thanking the university for cutting down on its energy use.

The $28 million new central plant and utilities infrastructure project replaces the campus' central steam plant, underground steam and condensate piping, and associated decentralized building heating and air conditioning equipment. The project included upgrades to the campus' underground utility infrastructure, including fire water mains and telecommunications.

The new system involves four miles of underground chilled water piping and four miles of hot water piping.